Leaf-cutter ants

There is a great variety of creatures here near the rainforest. There are numerous colonies of leaf-cutter ants that will descend upon a tree and can strip the leafs clean in a matter of days. These red ants can be seen in a stream carrying large chunks of leaves towards their underground nests. They don't really eat the leaves but rather choose leaves that support a fungus upon which they feed. You can see a stream of ants across the center of the image carrying large portion of leaves. In addition is a picture showing some of the leaves stripped bare by leaf-cutter ants. Amazing. (click on the picture to get a close up of the ants!)